Bottle-capping machine.



Patented Mar.11,19 13.

4SHEHT-S-SHEET 1.

V IIVVENTOR .flrz/n fiZ/VJOW A. JOHNSON.

BOTTLE GAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1911 ATTORNEYS SHEET 2.

4 SHEETS Patented 11, I913.

INVENTOR 5/0/0157! nnonnsrs A. JOHNSON. BOTTLE GAPPING momma.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1911.

, WITNESSES A JOHNSON.

BOTTLE GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6,1911.

Patented Mar. 11, 1913.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

A. JOHNSON. BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

00 1A 9 1m 2 1H 14" when n M d 4 t n w a D A QM P mm

mm m w; m 0 J ITNESSES ATTORNEYS ARON JOHNSON, or nnw roan, N. Y.

BOTTLE-CAPPIN G- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 3913.

Applicationifiled May a, 1911. Serial No. 625,468.

To all whom it may concern:

Bye it known that I, Anon JoHNsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of llew York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York. have invented a new and Improved Bottle-Capping Machine, of which the following is a'fnll, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a new and improved machine for atfixing caps to bottles or the like.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved feature for a hopper, whereby the caps to be affixed to the hottles will'be fed in their proper position and in the right quantity, so that there will be no clogging, and so that there will be a cap in POSlllOll at each capping operation.

Another object of this invention to provide a compensating mechanism for allowing for different-sized bottles. which will remain stationary for bottles of a common length, and yet which will yield under an abnormal pressure due to bottles of abnormal length, and which will also be adjust able to different of bottles and have a shock-absorbing means tending to retard the return action of the compensating mechanism.

A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic means for connecting the actuating mechanism for the capping mechanism,which will be single-acting, that to say, give a single cycle of movements to the cap-aflixing mechanism for one depression of the pedal, irrespective of the length of time which this pedal is held in its depressed position.

These and further objects, together with the construction and combination of parts. will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate C(JIIGSPOllt'llTIg' partsin all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side view in elevation; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front view in elevation; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the connecting or clutching mechanism for giving a single cycle of movements to the mechanisin: Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-i of Fig. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of part of the mechanism shown in Figs. 3 and 4; Fig. 6 is a top plan view sl'iowing the change from the vertical chute to the transverse chute, and the means for positively turning the caps in the same direction, irrespective of their position in passing from the first chute; Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line 77 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the coinpensator; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in front elevation, showing the means for controlling the feeding of the caps in the chute; Fig. 10 is a side view in elevation of the inechanism shown in Fig. 9; Fig. i1 is an en- 1 larged front view in elevation of the feed ing and controlling mechanism for regulating the passage of caps from the hopper and along the chutes partly broken away to show the underlying structure; and F ig. 12 is a vertical section on. the line 12-12 of Fig. 11; while Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the check valve shown in 6.

Referring more particularly to the separate parts of this invention, as embodied in the form shown in the drawings, 1 indicates a machine framework or standard, on which is slidingly mounted in any suitable manner the cap-affixing mechanism represented by the plunger 2, having a pair of opposed drop-hinge doors 3, adapted to support a cap above a bottle to which the cap is to be affixed, indicated at l, and yet arranged so as to swing open when the cap has been aliixed to the bottle, permitting the cap to be removed with the bottle, from the cap; atfixing mechanism.

The plunger 2 is connected by a. rod 5, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1', to a cranl: 6 on a shaft 7. The shaft 7 is adapt ed to be driven from any suitable source of power, as for example by a belt con.- nectcd to a pulley 8 loosely mounted on the shaft 7. The connecting mechanism between the shaft 7 and the pulley 8 is pref ealoly of such a character that it can .be controlled by a trcadlc 10, so that a. single depression of the treadle will cause a single rotation of the shaft 7 and thus a single cycle oi" movcmentsol? thecap-atlixing mechanism and the I'ncchanism connected thereto, no matter how long the treadlc is depressed after the first actuation, the trcadlc being automatically returned when the pressure thereon is relieved, by a spring 110. .To accomplish this purpose, the trcadlelO is connected at its opposite end, beyond its pivot point, in any suitable manner, as by moons of s; linl i'll, to e lever 12 pivoted,

intermediate its elude. At the far end of the lever 12, there is provided is somewhat hookshaped tiipper 13, which. is ivotally connected to the lever 12, and 1s adopted to engage e projecting dog 14c on. c lock 15. The tripper 13 is normally held in such e position that it will automatically engage the dog 19 by meens of a spring'lfi, the trippei" and dogbeing so beveled that when the trigiper moves upwardly, it will authmoticzilly cam over the dog and engage therewith.

The loci: 35 is normslly held in its uppermost position by means of the spring 16, which finds suit-able support and backing on a. bracket 17, which else is used in this instance to form a pivotal support for the lever 12-. As shown particularly in Fig. 3, the lock 15 is positioned in a slotin the bracket, 17.

Secured to the shaft 7 in any suitable manner, so as to roiete the same,- there is provided a collar 18, which is normally disconnected from the pulley 8, but adapted to be connected thereto by a sliding pawl 19, which is movably mounted in. the collar 18, and is adopted to engage one or the other of s olurelity of lugs 20 projecting from the side of the pulley 8. A spring 21 tends to force the pawl 19 out into the path of the lugs 20, but under normal conditions, when the trendle 10 has noibeen depressed this pawl 1.9 is secured in its retired or non-projecting position by :1, lug 22 on the pawl engaging behind an enlargement or ridge 230, forming o groove 24 in the lock 15. The ridge 230 is beveled st- 25 to form :1 com, which will automatically Withdraw the pawl 'lQfroni its projecting engagement with the lugs '30 during the last portion of a revolution of the shaft 7 with. the pulley 8, so that the lug is held buck to the straight portion indicated at 26, of the ridge 230 in the groove .24. Inasmuch as the lock 15 is dc pressed by the trcadle 10, it necessary to provide for the return of the lock to its upper and locking position, in cuse'the tresdle should be held down for a greater period than is necessary to rotate the shaft 7 once with the pulley .8. For this purpose, there is provided o throw-off pin 27, which, at the final portion of the depression of the lreadle 10, engages the flipper 13- and forces the book end thereof oil from the dog 14.. s l

The cops to bo'allixed to thebo'ttles s are supplied by means of a. supplementary chute Gil 2B, which moves with the cap-aihxing plunger 2 and is slidingly mouhted in a chute 29, from which it receives the caps. The chute '29 is of greatest dimension trsns versely, so that the cslps will. occupy a proper position in being delivered to the chute 28. The upper end of this chute 29 is of considereble mcgniejodc to allow for the reversal memes of s cap, in e. manner to be described, in

coming to the chute 29 from the hopper chute 30.

The conveying hopper chute 30 forms as continuation of a. circumferential passage 31 provided in e cssin 32, which may be termed the feeder casing, in that it moloses a feeder 33. The cops coming to the iee lee 33 are supplied from s hopper 34 disposed shove the feeder and connected thereto by a. passage 35. It is to be noted that the lower part of the passage 35, which meyin feel. he called a portion of the feeder cesiog;132 is in the shape of a'frustum of e cone, iodicatedet 36, and is recessed in the form of a. frustum of a cone at 37, to permit-me feeder 33 to rotate in the cesing 32 snd'hsve its inner surface form a substantial continue tion of the frusto-conical.surface of he cosing 32. The purpose of this is to ermit the caps to slide by gravity into the feeder 33, and from the feeder into the circumferential passage 31.

It will be noted that-the feeder 33 is rovided throughout its circumference in untaposition to the circumferential ssssgc 31, with a pluralit of outlets 370, w ereby the caps in the fee er can pass into the passage 31. These outlets are of substantially the same size as the caps, and are formed by a series of redial partitions 38. It will be noted. that the feeder is provided with a plurality of ribs 39, which project radially inwardly from the surface oi'the "feeder, and are for the'purpose of lifting the caps the feeder rotates, so that they will not, clog in case they become improperly positionet at the bottom of the feeder.- A further provision to. prevent the clogging of the caps is to be notedby reference to Fig. 12, where it will be seen that the feeder, instead of being in a single coniczil' form, is double-conical,

that is to say, its portion adjacent the outlets 311i) is inclined at an angle to the re mainin'g portion, so that; the caps will lull.- urslly 'fsll as indicated by the cup if in Fig. lie, into the outlets, and thus into the passage 31, without dzrnger of becoming stuck in a horizontal position.

.The feeder 33 may be rotated in any suitable manner, as by being sccured toe shaft.

.lLWVlllCh is connected in driving rcliition in any suitable manner to the. cup-nfiixing mechanism represented by the plunger 2, as by having a ratchet, wheel 42 there-rm operated intermittently by a ratchetlcver 43. which is connected to the plunger 2 by means of a link 44. The cups, upass ug from the feeder cas ng tel-the conveying chute 10. are not controlled in their position. so that some will face in one, direction and 4 some in'thoother direction; It is absolutely necessary, however, that When the caps come .to the cep-afllxing mechanism by means of the chute 28, the concave side shell face clearly seen frr n 6, 7 and 11, the chute all fall with their concave surfaces upper.-

mamas dowmvardly, and inasmuch as the chute 28 that the caps, when they enter the chute 28, shall. face with their concave surface outwardly. in order to obtain this result, the caps, they pass from the conveying chute to the chute 29, mustbe manipulated so that they will all face in the direction of the cap indicated at in Fig. 11. As has. been previously stated, and as will be more i) has its atesl: length extending in a plane subs itially at right-angles to the plane of greatest length of the chute 29, there being provided. however, at the top '5 the chute 29' sufficient moving space for the caps to change from a vertical position to a horizontal position, or from a position in substantial vertical plane to a position in a plane extending at right-angles to their original position. In order to accomplish the turn in such a manner that the caps Will most and outermost, there is provided a deflecting ridge 46. which is arched so as to 1 engage the portion of the cap of greatest 'liamcter and d flect it to one side or the I 2w way it is presented I lliz to the ridi e in coming from the chute 30, so that the rap will always fall with its top sidodoun that to say, with its con cave siiic uppermost. By this simple means, the capsalways prescnitul in proper relation to iii-'9 capariiixing uiecluinism rcprcsenicd tl1= plunger This operation, liowovcix would be rendered inoperative or at least c l list-a r.

the caps from rho chulc Illl wt to come in unlimited; quanli the chute 29, as theyl would on till up the space lo al: chute 29. in order :i) p. s provided an escape mom the passage of the caps 00 to the chute 29.

own the Form of no ends and posite sides of its pivot with. ll), irli' h project into the chute l 'liicicnt distance po. a. caps rolling erect in One end oftlie lever 47 project kylillil the point of connection of the pin ther to. and is engaged by a bell crank ion-r 30. which controls its operation. This licll rraul; lover fill is pivoted at 51, and is' normally pulled inwardly by a. spring 52, so ihal a pin 53 thereon projects to its inner must 'iosilion in the chute 29 except when it is prcvcnicd by a rap, such as the one indicated at 4-5 in Fig l l. blocking: ils inward movement. The lever 50 is adapted to be actuated against the tension of the spring 52 by a cam 54 on an arm engaging a lug 56 on the lever 50. This arm can be ma nipulated in any suitable manner from the capping mechanism, as by being operatively connected to the movable chute 28. Que form of such a connection'is shown in Figs,

9 and 10, where an extensible or adjustable 63, having a pin 64 thereon which projects into the interior of the passage of the chute 99 and is normally forced in its inwardlyprojecting position by a spring 65.

The compensator for supporting the bot-- tles Will now be described. This is shown to include a support 66 having an adjustable head 6'? connected to the body of the sup portby a screw-threaded connection and adapted to be locked in any adjusted position by an adjustable locking hand-nut- 68. The body of the support is slidingly mounted so as to more in a. vertical direction in .a casing 69 located on an extension frame 70 on the standard 1. This frame may be provided with a door 71, whereby access to the interior thereof can be had, so as to repair or adjust tile mechanism contained therein. It will be noted that the casing 69 has, in addition to the opening through which the support extends, a considerably larger cylindrical cavity 72, whereby an enlarged portion 73 on the support maybe utilized as a piston to entrap air between this enlarged portion and the overhang of the casing 69, so as to retard the return action of the support caused by mechanism to be described.

An air inlet 74, controlled by a one-way check valve 753 permits the air to come into this entrapping chamber above the piston or. the support. so to allow the support to be depressed under an excessive capping pressure wit iout any retarding effect. The support (36 is normally hold stationary under the capping action, and only yields under abnormal pressure due to an excessively long bottle. Tn the event of an excessive pressure, means provided for a downward yielding action of the support. which taken with the support, forms a compensator. The support 66 has a downwardly-projecting extension 76, formed with oppositely-disposed arms 77. on which are rotatably mounted anti-friction rollers, which engage in cut-out portions or grooves on the inwardly-disposed corners of arms 78 pivoted at their lower ends so as to converge inwardly toward each other. These arms form substantially rigid struts, which support the support in a siationarv position, but incline, so that under an exces- 1&9

oi the extension 76 of the support. pressure at which the arms 7 8 yield is con-.

sive pressure, the? Wiil yield outwardly end permit the loweringoi the support --aga1nst the resistance of a spring 7-9, which presses unwardlyon a lug ,80 located on the bottom The trolled by springs 81, which engage the arms 78, and, their tension in turn is controlled by adjusters 82; shown in the form of. screws having a screw threaded connection with bosses 83 on the frame 70. The adjusters 82 maybe-locked in any adjusted position by locking nuts 84. It is to be noted that the angle at which each of the cutout portions or grooves adjacent i fie' corners of the arms 78 extend determines the pressure acting, on the support 66 which Will cause these arms to move away from each other against the pressure of the springs 81; it is ohvious,"thereiiore, that the particular COIlStIllCtlOIlx of the cornersof these arms may be varied under difier'efit circumstances.

The operation "of" the device will be read- ',l ily understood when taken in connection with the above descriptionfiWhen' it iSdGZ-u hired to affix acap to shuttle, the bottle, in dicated as 4, is placed on the head of'thesupport 66. This head can be adjustedto give a space between the head and the'plun gel: 2 corresponding to-the size of the'genQ m, erel run of thehottles' Whenthe bottle is in place, the operator presses his foot on the:

treadle 10, thereby causing the tripper 13 to draw the lock 15, down-Wardly, so that;

the ridge 23 thereon is withdrawnfro'm en'-:

gagement with the lug 22, so that they spring 21' will urge the clutch pawl '19 into the path of one of the lugs 20. on the rotating. pulley 8. The last portion of the downward movement of the treadle 10 will causevth'e lug- 27 to come into engagement with the trip er 13 and slip it off thedog 14, so that the lock 15 will return to its uppermost posi'-' tion, irrespective of how long the treedle -is' held in its depressed positionby the opera-f tor. The pulley 8 thus carries the shaft? around one rotation through-the, internisv dlary of the pawl19 on theflcollnr 18 which 1S secured to the shaft 7.. During thel'atte'r partof its revolution, the log :22 on the col liar 18 engages the coinor wedge surfucelof, the'ridge 23,- and thus camshackwardlythe pawl 19 against the tension-of the spring] 21, until it is withdrawn from engagement with one of the lugs 20, so that the pulley 8 will rotate freel'vwitho'utrotating the shaft 5.; During the rotation ofihe shafit 7, the

capping mechanism represented by. the

plunger 2 is moved downuga'i-dlynnd affixes a cap, to the bottle 4, and returns to its upperiposition, the doors 3 'per mitting the atfixed cap to slip from the'capp-ingiuechanism. The cap which liasbeen'siiixed to the bottle is replaced by'anothe'r cap cont-l :this cap can fall to. the position occupied "by the preceding cap'in engagement with inserts bottle. The movement of the operator also actuates, through the intermediary of the cam 54 and the lug 56, the hell crank lever 50, so thatthe pin 53 releases the cap with which it is in engagement, so that this pin 64.: This movement also raises the pin 48 from its innermost projecting positiomen-d. thrusts inwardly the pin 49 into itsinnermost projecting position, so that 1i sleep is not already in engagement with 'fthe 'pin jitiyone will be permitted to slide 'down through the chute 30,into engagementv with thepin 49,: When the chute 28 moves downwardly in the next capping operation,

the, operator will be drawn downwardly hy'thespring' 59 and byigravity, so that the spring 52iis free to' 'act on-the lever 50. It

ere'is no cap iii-front of the pin 53, this spring 52 wii draw the lower end of the lever to its innermost position, thereby raising the pin. 49, a sufiicient distance to allow "the cap in f engagement therewith to fall down'to engagement with" the pin 53. If,

however,- acap is already in front of the pin 53, sho'wingtha'tthere are more than enough caps in the chute 29, the pin 53 will not be permitted to travel too far inwardly by the blocking actiofiof tliecap, as indicated at 45 in Fig. 11,-thus preventing. the'pin 49 moving outwardly'ir-suflicient distance to permit another cap to pass from the chute 30 to thechute' This arrangement prevents the accumulation of an excessivenumher f-caps in the chute 2 9, and thus prevents the derangement of the Facing con-' 'trol for the caps, which tends to face the caps all in; the same direction. [,As has been described; above, thecaps are supplied to the chute 30 by the rotatable ifrusto-conical feeder 33, which, by virtue of its radial ribs, stirs upthe caps and supplies them continuously through the outlets 37: to the circumferential passage 31, clog- 'gingl'iein'g absolutely prevented by the ribs and by the, circumferential inclination of the secondconical surface-of the feeder;

: If? the bottle is of; the normal ,size, -towhich the head 67 has been adjusted, the support '66' will rema n substantially'stationm y under the pressure .due to the cap ping {\CillOIll If, however, a bottle above the normalsize s inserted, and an excessive by tho shock-sbsoy V 25 supporthoving L1 so throng-ii said igaie, aim moons lorsssuro oros nsai, tho 3% wiil yiohi oiiiwzzrcily against this pornmsmg the sopporu to lower against 511s ts ision of the spring T9 and the spsmgs 83. The pressure 5 at which the support yields oan'boregulatod by means of the adjusters When she excessive pressure has been "Yemoved, the spring; '19 wiii return the support to its uppermoss position, which action is retarded bar formed by the piston fisilge on the body of the support Working in the onisrged cavity in the casing 89.

While 1' have shown 011s ombodmism oi invoziiion, I do not Wish *io be iimissd to the spsoifio fioiaiis thereof, has oiesirs to be promoted in various ohaizgos, sitsrstions modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus ciescribeii my invsmioii; I

claim as now and desire to secure by Letters Potent:-- L

l. A. ISOMPSIZSQKOZ oomgsrising a casing, o. support movsfbiy mooiitsoi in said sssmg, 'soici casing having enisrgsd oavity, said portion sdopieci to sci as a 1s LLQiEl said osi'ity, so as to reisrc'! Nomi of said smp pors, on six 0116 mo inlet for soici osviiy, s oheoim'sws sootroiling; tbs oi, oi? to" ssiiios'visy :i or' assuming said suppori; to itsnormoi joo 2. A compsnssior comprishg a casing, is support movsbiy mountsci in ssid casing, aid casing having an enlarged cavity, said s) supgori; having an enlarged portion adopted to act as a piston in solo csmiy, so as to retard the movement oi sold support, an an inieifi for ssiii cavity, a oheck-vsive for controlhng the assage of: an to said cavity so through ssiri inlet, means for returning said support to its normal position, arms engaging said support and remaining fixed under normal pressure and yielding under set pressure.

bios,

3. A componsstor comprising s casing, the casing being pIOVMed with a cavity, a

support movabi j mounted reiatively 0 The casing, filo said support entering the cavity, so slr inlet to the'csvli-y, and means for controlhn the passage of air to the can vity throng 1 said inlei, siod othor'means for returning the said support to norms position. 4. A compensator comprising a casing, the casing being providgd with a cavity, the said support having an onisrged portion positioned within tho omit-y sci as a iston, an ai'i} ii 1 es:;sr thsisoid cavity, snov'a check vah e for oontroiiing'the inlet. V Y A compensator comprising a casing, iho'cssing being provicied with s cavity, a

support carried by the casing and movable rsiativeiy thereto, the support having a portion entering the ssifi cavity and adopted to act as a the passage oi air to the said cavity, and a spring for returning the support to its new:

pressure of'the said sprin' s when the pros sure on the sugiport excee s a set value.

In testimony whereof I have signed my .name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARON JOHNSON. Witnesses:

H. Wmimo, Pinup D. ROLLHAUS.

passage of-air to said cavity ob ong ssiciv fia 'pwotsily mounted arms and odsp i sd piston, in check Volvo for controlling 

